William Forsythe
Synchronous Objects flows from dance to data to objects. The dance is One Flat Thing, reproduced (2000) by William Forsythe. The data are translations of choreographic structures in the dance. The objects are visualizations, animations, and interactive software repurposing the choreographic information in the dance through the data.
«Understanding the visual counterpoint in One Flat Thing, reproduced helps one to view all of William Forsythe’s work anew and indeed to view other contemporary dance and even the world around you in new ways. Rather than seeking unison, which can suppress individual thinking and creativity, in counterpoint, alignments can be created wherever there are forms of agreement and degrees of similarity. This allows for shared movement forward without stifling individuality. In our complex and diverse contemporary global societies, we find this a valuable metaphor choreographically, philosophically, and practically.»
Norah Zuniga Shaw, co-creative director for Synchronous Objects
To accompany the exhibition The Body Within Abstraction (September 26, 2026–January 10, 2027) at Museum Haus Konstruktiv, SAPA, the Swiss Archive of the Performing Arts, presents the project Synchronous Objects for One Flat Thing, reproduced. A video of the work can be viewed in the window display at Limmatstrasse 265 in Zurich. The project’s interactive workstation can be experienced at SAPA in Zurich in its original Flash-based technical environment.
Launched originally online in 2009 the project has attracted millions of visitors, winning numerous awards, featured in hundreds of publications, events, and exhibitions, and touring internationally for over a decade. The work became inaccessible online December 31st, 2021, with the final demise of Flash (the software used to create the interactive interface) and now tours as a gallery exhibition.
Just across the street, at the Löwenbräuareal, Museum Haus Konstruktiv will inaugurate the international group exhibition The Body Within Abstraction on 25 September 2026. Museum Haus Konstruktiv is Switzerland’s leading institution for constructivist, concrete and conceptual art. The Body Within Abstraction offers a spirited critical re-examination of the long-held assumption that rational, non-objective art is devoid of references to the body. Featuring works by artists including Heidi Bucher, Kimsooja, Dóra Maurer, Bruce Nauman, Steven Parrino and Chiharu Shiota, the exhibition explores the ways in which the body becomes both a formal condition and a thematic foundation of minimalist and non-figurative works. At its core is the question of how the body—as a unit of measurement, a model or an organising principle—shapes non-objective art.
The Body Within Abstraction also marks Museum Haus Konstruktiv's 40th anniversary.
Information about the exhibitions
- Synchronous Objects for One Flat Thing, reproduced (2009) (29.09.26 - 22.12.26) | SAPA Foundation, Limmatstrasse 265, 8005 Zurich | Tue and Thu 11 am - 6 pm
- The Body Within Abstraction (26.09.26 - 10.01.26) | Museum Haus Konstruktiv, Limmatstrasse 268, 8005 Zürich | Tue, Thu-Sun 11 AM - 6 PM, Wed 11 AM - 8 PM
